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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29463225">The Past That Haunts You</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Acuberon_1285/pseuds/Acuberon_1285'>Acuberon_1285</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Linked Universe - Fandom, The Legend of Zelda &amp; Related Fandoms</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Beating, Blood and Injury, Character Death, Crying, Fierce for short, Fighting, Hate, Major Character Injury, Secrets, Swearing, The others are just mentioned in the prologue from that it's just Time</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 20:22:06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,051</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29463225</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Acuberon_1285/pseuds/Acuberon_1285</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Time has the life he always dreamed of. But when someone troubles his peace, he is forced to face his past once more.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Fierce Deity &amp; Time (Linked Universe), Link&amp;Time (Linked Universe), Link/Zelda (Legend of Zelda), Malon (Legend of Zelda)/Time (Linked Universe), Saria (Legend of Zelda) &amp; Time (Linked Universe), Time &amp; Twilight &amp; Wild (Linked Universe), Time (Linked Universe) &amp; Zelda (Legend of Zelda)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Prologue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>English isn't my native language</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The springsun shone through the windows of Lon Lon Ranch. Time smiled and rolled over bed, facing his wife. He tapped her on the tip of her nose and chuckled slightly as she snapped open her eyes and brought her hand up to rub the tiny tickle away.</p>
<p>‘’Good morning,’’ he murmured.</p>
<p>‘’Good morning.’’</p>
<p>Time sat up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. The warmth of the sun hit his skin and he stretched. He stood up and quietly left the room, letting Malon rest a little longer. She deserved it. Yesterday had been noisy. His Wild Child just turned 10 and of course, he <em>demanded </em>a delicious cake and a party with Hyrule, Wind, Legend, Four, Sky, Twilight and Warriors.</p>
<p>From the kitchen came murmuring, giggling and hushes when Time came closer. He looked around the corner and saw how Twilight quickly put a piece of cake in his mouth while Wild stiffened and stared into his father’s eyes, cheeks turning red.</p>
<p>‘’What is going on in here?’’ Time asked.</p>
<p>‘’Bweakfsast.’’ Came the muffled voice of Twilight who was desperately trying to get the cake down his throat. He eventually got it down and then pointed at the final and last piece of cake. ‘’Don’t worry, we’ll leave that one for Mom.’’</p>
<p>Time shook his head. ‘’So no piece for me?’’</p>
<p>Twilight’s eyes shone mischieviously as he shared a quick glance with his younger brother. ‘’You need to watch your weight, don’t you? I’ve seen those lobes!’’ he hadn’t even finished his sentence before he rushed off, Wild quickly following.</p>
<p>‘’Lobes? Oh, I’ll get you both you little brats!’’ Time snarled, but a laugh edged his voice. He targeted for Twilight who squealed as he noticed he was being chased. He made a terrible mistake to corner himself. Time dived forward and grabbed his son by the waist. ‘’Got’cha, you little Pup!’’ he growled.</p>
<p>‘’Wild, help!’’ Twilight squeaked as he tried to break free. ‘’Help! Before he crushes me!’’</p>
<p>‘’He wouldn’t!’’ Wild yelled but still pried Time’s fingers open for Twilight to escape. ‘’Come on, let’s quickly bring the cake upstairs and give it to Mom before Time catches us both!’’ He sprinted to the kitchen and carefully placed the cake on a plate decorated with flowers, Malon’s favorite.</p>
<p>Time panted a little as he grabbed a glass and filled it with orange-juice. He gave it to Twilight. ‘’You two may be brats, but you are <em>my </em>little brats,’’ he said and ruffled both his son’s hair.</p>
<p>‘’It will be a big surprise!’’ Wild said and tiptapped away. ‘’Come on, Pup!’’</p>
<p>‘’Hey! Only Dad may call me Pup, not you!’’</p>
<p>‘’Fine, but hush now, or else Mom will hear us,’’ Wild whispered.</p>
<p>Time smiled. <em>My little Cub and Pup. So close… </em>His smile faded and was replaced with hate. <em>Closer than me and Fierce ever were… </em>He walked back up to his room. <em>The past is in the past. There’s no need to think about it now. I have a family now. A real family…</em></p>
<p>‘’Thank you, boys! This was your own idea? Not helped by Dad?’’ came Malon’s voice from the other side of the door. ‘’Thank you.’’</p>
<p>Time opened the door and saw both Wild and Twilight sit on bed, smiling widely and eyes brightened up as their mother praised them.</p>
<p>‘’Look! I put <em>extra </em>cream on it,’’ Wild said and pointed at it white substance that lay on the cake.</p>
<p>Time sat next to his wife and looked warmly and proudly at his kids.</p>
<p>His Cub. So thoughtful and kind yet so feral. Always looking for trouble. If there wasn’t trouble already, he would do something stupid to get into trouble. He chuckled at the scene 2 years ago. Wild was 8 years old at the time. He had been playing with his soccerball when he suddenly kicked it too hard, the ball flying through the air and landing with a splash in the pond. He jumped right after it, covering himself in mud and spawn. The Cub didn’t mind though, he had his ball back.</p>
<p>Time remembered him scolding his son and sending him to shower immediately. His son did look guilty and regretful. He just couldn’t keep angry.</p>
<p>‘’And I poured in some orange juice. Because we all know you like it.’’</p>
<p>His Pup. Always so protective over his little brother. He was 2 years older than his feral brother and was the complete opposite in character. If Wild was fire, Twilight was water, trying to cool Wild down as the Cub was planning to do something dumb. Like for example jump into a pond to retrieve his ball… Or climbing the Great Oak Tree in the back yard… Or destroying the kitchen trying to make a plate full of cookies…</p>
<p>Time was snapped out of his thoughts by the sound of Wild’s new Ocarina. A beautiful sky-blue one, decorated with golden stripes. He chuckled as the instrument didn’t make fluent notes. Wild would need some practice to get it right, but he <em>did</em> make a new tune. A beautiful one, nice and calm. He looked at his son with amazement. How could he make such a sweet tune that was completely the opposite of his character?</p>
<p>‘’That’s a nice tune. You made it yourself?’’ he asked as Wild put the instrument down.</p>
<p>‘’I made it for Mom, after all the razzle-dazzle yesterday…’’ Wild murmured and looked down. ‘’You like it?’’</p>
<p>Twilight put a hand on his brother’s shoulder. ‘’I think it’s beautiful.’’</p>
<p>Malon smiled. ‘’Thank you, Wild. Does the tune have a name?’’ she asked and kissed him on the cheek. Her eyes then met Time’s and a warm glance echoed in her blue eyes.</p>
<p>Wild nodded. ‘’I call it ‘Sparkling Stars!’ Because every uh… how you call it… uh… well you know what I mean, sounds like the flicker of the stars you see in the night sky!’’ he informed. ‘’And I just started.’’ He turned to his father. ‘’Can you either teach me a few songs of yours?’’</p>
<p>Time laughed. ‘’Look at us four here. It’s not even 10 AM and we’re already busy to decide what to do. I think the first thing we all be doing is putting some clothes on.’’</p>
<p>Twilight and Wild sprinted away, and a few seconds later the doors of their rooms slammed shut.</p>
<p>Time sighed. He’d repeatedly told them <em>not </em>to slam the door. Apparently listening isn’t a positive quality they both have. ‘’Don’t slam the door…’’ he called after them but he knew they didn’t hear him.</p>
<p>‘’When will they learn,’’ Malon murmured, a little amusement in her voice.</p>
<p>‘’They will never learn.’’ Time walked to the cabinet and grabbed out a pair of trousers and T-shirt. He immediately changed it for a normal shirt with longer sleeves as the cold wind touched his arms, sending goosebumps up his shoulder.</p>
<p>‘’Dad!’’</p>
<p>Time walked down the stairs as he heard Twilight’s voice. ‘’What is it, Twilight?’’</p>
<p>‘’There’s an man at the door, he says he knows you.’’</p>
<p>‘’Who would know me?...’’ Time murmured to himself. ‘’Other than my family?’’</p>
<p>He opened the door to the hallway and stiffened as he recognized the man at the doorstep. He looked at the face he desperately tried to forget and push away in the back of his mind. Time curled up his lip and stared at the man with all the hatred he had in his body, all the hate he had carried with him his entire life.</p>
<p>The man smiled innocently, his eyes however told another story. ‘’Hello, son.’’</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Summer 1956</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>‘’Time, be careful!’’</p><p>Time looked down on his mother from the top of the branch he was sitting on. The summer breeze ruffled his blond hair and the leaves whispered around him, singing their summersongs. The colors of the flowers blended together in the fields. Red going to pink. Pink going to purple and purple going to blue. The warm colors welcomed you, welcomed you to walk through them, letting you touch their soft petals.</p><p>‘’It’s okay, Mom! I’ll come down now,’’ he called and lowered himself. Branch after branch he slowly made his way down. When he landed on the ground, his mother stepped toward him and wiped the bark off his trousers. ‘’I could look over the fields, Mom! Over the Flower Fields,’’ he said as Zelda stood up again. ‘’You should look for yourself, too! The colors are amazing. There was blue and purple and red!’’</p><p>Zelda smiled. ‘’Maybe some other time, Dear,’’ she murmured. ‘’Let’s go back home now. Tomorrow you can play again.’’ She held out her hand and her eyes sparkled with love as her son took her hand. Together, they walked back to their home, butterfly’s flying around them.</p><p>Time’s eyes widened at the sight of so many colors flying around him. He flinched back when one of them broke free from the group and sat on his nose. His instinct was to rub the tickle away that the little paws of the butterfly was leaving on the tip, but he didn’t want to scare it off. He hardly dared to move and sighed with relief when the bug flew away. He brought his hand up and rubbed the tickle away. He looked up at his mother who was chuckling. ‘’Did you see that?’’ he breathed as he happily bounced up and down. ‘’It sat on my nose and stayed there!’’</p><p>‘’It sure did,’’ Zelda murmured. Her smile faded as she saw her house. ‘’Now, it’s been a long day for your father, so don’t go bounce around him, okay?’’ She opened the door and cautiously stepped inside. ‘’Hello?’’</p><p>The house was silent, the only sound was the quiet creaking of the wood beneath the footsteps of the two entering. The wind blew through the window in the living room, the curtain flowing in waves up and down, casting shadows on the ground.</p><p>Time peaked around the corner of the door, the hallway was deadly silent. Too silent for his liking. ‘’Dad? Are you back?’’</p><p>Zelda seemed to sigh with relief and put out her shoes, placing them under the tiny heater in the hallway. Even for the summer, warm shoes were always welcome if you had the pleasure. ‘’Link’s not home yet for a change,’’ she said and looked at her son. ‘’Shall we make a banquet for him?’’</p><p>Time nodded eagerly. It was always a terrible hard quest to please Link, he always looked down on him, always criticizing him for what he did. Wait til he saw this! He will be <em>so </em>impressed!</p><p>‘’What should I do?’’ he asked. Already jumping around in the kitchen.</p><p>‘’Well, first you stop jumping around.’’</p><p>Time looked up at the harsh sound of his father. His heart started to race and he felt his cheeks turn red. He had failed again to impress his father. ‘’Umm… Hey, Dad,’’ he quietly murmured.</p><p>Link stared down hard on his son, blue eyes as cold as ice. ‘’This is not your place, kid,’’ he said and stepped away for Time to exit the kitchen again. He followed him and left Zelda alone. ‘’What were you doing there?’’</p><p>The ticking of the clock echoed in the living room. Tick… Tock… Tick… Tock… It was an awful sound, sending goosebumps up your arms, yet it was completely normal. The clock was always ticking, the same tick-tocks were usually calming but now… Now, if you made one wrong move. Time had heard from other villagers how fanatic Link could be.</p><p>‘’Well?’’</p><p>Time swallowed and looked up to lock his gaze with his father’s. ‘’Mom and I were home before you. We wanted to make a banquet for you because you always fight so bravely. We just wanted to surprise you.’’ He put his hands behind his back and placed his gaze down again. Heart still beating very fast.</p><p>‘’Hmff,’’ Link huffed and sat down in his chair near the fire place.</p><p>Time dashed forward. ‘’Do I need to put the fire on?’’ he asked, trying already to set his mistake right.</p><p>‘’No! You keep away from that fire!’’ came the muffled voice of Zelda from the kitchen.</p><p>Time just sighed and made his way upstairs to his room. From there he could see the flowers again and the trees and the enormous lake. The Moon Splash he called it. The moon always shone so beautiful on the water. He wondered what life would be in the wilderness. Flowers would be everywhere! Birds would sing all around you, squirrels would run around and rabbits jump over fallen trees.</p><p>‘’Time! Come over here! Dinner’s ready,’’ Link voice called from down stairs.</p><p>Time looked one more time at the Moon Splash before he rushed down the stairs and sat down on his chair. He flinched a bit back once he saw the glance of Link’s eyes. Something didn’t go well today. He just kept his eyes down as he heard his father’s list becoming longer and longer.</p><p>‘’And he just didn’t get back up. What kind of soldier are you then? You should always be ready to fight.’’</p><p>Zelda softly interrupted. ‘’Maybe you’re just a bit too quick. I mean, they’ve just started training.’’ She immediately closed her mouth as she realized what she’d just said.</p><p>Time felt the tension rise between the two. He was only 10 years old, but he knew how tense the two could get sometimes. He held his breath as he waited for Link’s reaction.</p><p>‘’Are you questioning my training, Zelda?’’ he asked calmly, but his eyes told a story of rage.</p><p>‘’Well, you don’t have to be as harsh with apprentices. They’ve just begun.’’</p><p>The room was silent as Time waited for father to snap, but for once he stayed quiet. He just stared at his plate, hand twitching though, he had to be careful now. One wrong move…</p><p>‘’May I be excused?’’ Time asked, shifting nervously in his chair. He’d rather not be here if he saw the twitching hand.</p><p>Zelda smiled. ‘’You may,’’ she said and Time rushed for the front door.</p><p>He wanted to go back to the tree, back to the branch to see the Flower Fields, to feel the wind ruffle his hair and hear the leaves whisper their songs around him.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>‘’Shine bright morning light’’ <br/>‘’Now in the air the fall is coming’’<br/>‘’Sweet blowing wind’’ <br/>‘’Singing down the hills and valleys’’<br/>‘’Keep your eyes on me’’ <br/>‘’Now we're on the edge of hell’’ <br/>‘’Dear my love, sweet morning light’’ <br/>‘’Wait for me, you've gone much farther, too far’’</em>
</p>
<p>Time quietly walked down the stairs at the sound of his mother’s voice. He knew this song, he knew the sweet, soft and warmth it gave. It warmed his soul and comforted him when he was upset or scared.</p>
<p>Two weeks had passed. Summer was at its ending and the leaves were turning orange and yellow. The flowers had died and the birds were silent. It felt like death. Your life slowly slipping away out of your grasp and no matter how hard you tried to hold on to it, winter would come and kill all the plants life around you. The cold would grip at your soul and love.</p>
<p>‘’Good morning, Mom,’’ Time murmured and sat down next to her. Zelda turned away from him. ‘’Are you okay? I heard the song, so I thought…’’ his voice trailed away as he started to understand what had happened. He stood up and walked his mother to see the black eye.</p>
<p>Zelda looked away again. ‘’It’s nothing, really,’’ she whispered.</p>
<p>Time took a step back and shook his head. ‘’This isn’t nothing,’’ he said but didn’t press on. If his mother didn’t want to talk about it, so be it. He walked back to his room and sat down on his bed. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.</p>
<p>The last warm rays of the sun shone through his window. He sighed and turned around to look at the Moon Splash, it was calmly moving in the breeze. It looked peaceful… And safe.</p>
<p><em>Saver than this place. </em>Time thought bitterly. He’d heard his father yelling late at night when he couldn’t sleep. His mother screaming and crying as she tried to calm him down.</p>
<p>Time put on his clothes and shoes and left to go sit on the Branch. The only place he felt happy and safe, looking down on the world instead of being looked down on by his father. Goddamn did he hate him.</p>
<p>He’d reached the tree and jumped up, pulling himself into a sitting position and just let his thoughts slip away in the wind. But only one kept sticking around.</p>
<p>Why?</p>
<p>Why is the most annoyable question. You can come up with lots of things to answer ‘why’. The only problem then, is to pick the true one and not a false one to only please yourself and deny the truth. Sometimes the truth is hard and unwanted but then there’s nothing you can do to it. There are three ways to react to the truth. At least that’s what Time thinks…</p>
<p>One. Denial.</p>
<p>Two. Anger</p>
<p>Three. Acceptance.</p>
<p><em>Which one of the three am I? </em>Time thought and stared over the dying Flower Field. <em>Anger? Denial? </em>He blinked as a white butterfly sat down on his nose. He stiffened as remembered what had happened two weeks earlier. A blue butterfly had landed on his nose and stayed there for a few seconds before it flew away into the bright summer sun. He’d been so surprised by the event and now again he flinched back.</p>
<p>Suddenly he felt tears beginning to form in his eyes. He looked after the butterfly as it flew away at the same time as the tear. His breathing became shaky and his hands started to tremble. He brought his left hand up and wiped the water away with the back of his hand. <em>Really? Crying? You have to stay strong! For all of us.</em></p>
<p>From the far lands, dark clouds were forming. Almost as dark as the bruises his mother got whenever she says something against his will. His will… What <em>was</em> his will? It would be a miracle if you could please him.</p>
<p>‘’Denial, Anger, Acceptance,’’ Time mumbled to himself. Why couldn’t this question be answered with a yes or no? A firm yes or a heartbreaking no. <em>If only it were that simple… </em>‘’What do you want? What do you know? What could you do? What can I do?’’ The questions flew away, useless, no one would hear them anyway. They would remain unanswered forever. They would echo uselessly against the mountaintops, carried away in the breeze and travelling with the flow of a river down a waterfall where they would crash and drown in the water.</p>
<p>‘’DENIAL, ANGER, ACCEPTANCE!’’ Time now yelled. He jumped down the Branch and ran toward the Moon Splash. Tiny droplets of rain started to fall, but he didn’t mind, in fact, it even felt like a relief. His worries being washed away. But then on the other side… They felt like tears. Hot tears that stayed on your skin, drying up on your cheeks, the water immediately taken back by your body. You could wipe them away, but your grief stayed.</p>
<p>He skidded to a halt next to the enormous lake. It looked bigger from his bedroom. He knelt down to the shore and looked at his reflection. To his horror he could see his father staring back to him, an evil and disappointed look on his face.</p>
<p>Time lashed out with a hand to break this mirror of himself. Will he become like his father? Hylia please no! He didn’t want to end up like <em>him</em>. He’d be cast out, his family would turn against him.</p>
<p>‘’No, no, no,’’ he whispered and let the droplets of the water drip down his fingers, making tiny circles on the still surface. ‘’I’ll never be like him.’’</p>
<p>He slowly stood back up and turned around, head low. He sighed as how he could see his days when he was young, back when his father actual had feelings and actually <em>smiled</em>. Now, it was just a rock. Cold as ice. Not being able to melt.</p>
<p>Time put his chin in the air. He <em>will </em>bring the sun back. Whatever it takes, the warmth <em>will </em>come back!</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Winter 1956</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Time shivered. Winter had arrived, casting its cold spell over the land. The grass now white and light-blue. The sun wasn’t up before it fell again, holding the land in a dark void, not being able to escape it until the rays of the spring warmed the ground, white turning green, pink and blue. The silence being replaced with the singing of the birds and the buzzing of bumblebees.</p>
<p>‘’Come help, Time!’’</p>
<p>Time looked up from his book. It was something about a man living happily with his family but something awful happens. He placed it under his pillow, if Link found it, he’d throw it away, saying that it would destract him from his training that was about to start… He sighed. He just wanted a normal life, not being pushed around like a puppet.</p>
<p>‘’I’m coming! What do I need to do?’’</p>
<p>Link thrushed a blunt sword in his hands. ‘’Sharpen,’’ he ordered and walked away. ‘’Make sure it can cut through wood. The swords they use for training are useless if you know it can’t hurt.’’</p>
<p>‘’Time shouldn’t sharpen this! You know this!’’ Zelda protested as she entered the room. ‘’He’s just turned eleven! This is too dangerous.’’ She took the sword from Time’s hands and let her gaze fall on Link.</p>
<p>‘’This is good training for him,’’ Link said. ‘’He’ll be twelve before you know it and then he’ll be ready.’’ He looked at his son and smiled. ‘’Right, boy? Can’t wait, can you?’’</p>
<p>Time stiffened. His father never smiled. It terrified him, yes, he was used to the beating and didn’t dare to do anything that didn’t please Link, but this… This was pure horror.</p>
<p><em>What do I do? </em>Time thought and panicked a bit. He didn’t want to train! But what would happen if he disobeyed? Would another bruise come to his collection? Or would his mother be beaten instead for influencing their son? He looked down on his feet as he muttered:</p>
<p>‘’Can’t wait…’’</p>
<p>Link ruffled Time’s hair and let out a laugh. ‘’That’s it!’’</p>
<p>Time put his hands on his back as he didn’t want to let Link see them trembling with fear. What did he just do? He’d lied. Oh, this was not going to end well. If he found out… What would happen then?</p>
<p>He slowly backed away as his parents glared at each other, both an evil glance.</p>
<p>He always wondered. Why would they marry? It was clear that they both had opposite personalties. Link being the hard, angry one. Zelda soft and caring.</p>
<p>And then himself. What was he? Obviously more like his mother, which he was grateful for. Why would you be anything like Link? Why would you want anyone to be scared of you? Everyone walking away from you, talking behind your back at how stern and evil you are. <em>Just like his father…</em></p>
<p>Time shook his head. <em>Never!</em></p>
<p>‘’Sharpen that blade yourself!’’ Zelda hissed and dropped the sword on the ground, the steal clattering on the hard surface, echoing in the workshop.</p>
<p>
  <em>Oh no…</em>
</p>
<p>Time immediately turned away, he couldn’t see this, not again. He ran up the stairs and closed the door. He put his hands on his ears to block out the sound that came from downstairs. His eyes filled with tears.</p>
<p>‘’What have you done?!’’</p>
<p>‘’You know what I did! You’re already pushing him around! He’s just a boy!’’</p>
<p>‘’He has to be ready!’’</p>
<p>‘’So what? Leave him alone for ONE TIME IN YOUR LIFE!’’</p>
<p>‘’You don’t understand! You never did!’’</p>
<p>‘’Then leave!’’</p>
<p>Time curled into a ball as he heard the scream of his mother.</p>
<p>‘’What would it take for things to be quiet?’’ he murmured. ‘’Quiet, like the snow. All stars could be brighter.’’ He slowly put his hands back down. ‘’All hearts could be warmer…’’</p>
<p>All hearts could be warmer. That sounded nice, safe. If only…</p>
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